Process of making matches



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. M. BOWMAN.

PROCESS OF MAKING MATUHES. No. 499,776. Patented June 20, 1893.

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0. .BOWM'A PROCESS OF MAKING M ES.

No. 499,776. Patented June20, 1893.

(No Model.) 5 Shets-Sheet- 3.

G. M. BOWMAN. PROCESS OF MAKING MATCHES.

. Patented June 20, 1893.

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(No Model.)

5 snets sheec 4. O. M. BOWMAN. PROGESS OF MAKING MATCHES.

7 Patented June 20, 1893.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-$heet 5. 0. M. BOWMAN. PROCESS 01- MAKING MATCHES.

No. 499,776. Patented June 20, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC CHARLES lWI. BOWMAN, OF LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MAKING MATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,776, dated June 20, 1893.

Application filed January 26, 1893. Serial No. 459,833. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. BOWMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county'of Lebanon, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Matches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such'as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to frictionmatches and has for its object certain improvements in the manufacture thereof to produce them economically, greatly reduce the cost of transportation and facilitate their use and convenience of handling or carrying them on the person of the consumer.

The invention will be fully disclosed in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification Figure 1, represents a rear elevation of my improved machine for making matches; Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3, avertical transverse section; Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view of part of the fulminate depositing drum; Fig. 5, a transverse section of V the same; Fig. 6, a top plan view of a section of a sheet of matches, the product of the machine; Fig. 7, a perspective of a sheet of matches put up in a roll; Fig.8, a like view of a book of matches, the cover being open; Fig. 9, a like view of the book, the cover being closed, and Fig. 10, a perspective showing the position in which a match is held in a hand to ignite it.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon, A, A, indicate the two ends of the frame of the machine, upon which the several parts are supported, and are connected by longitudinal bars a, b, c.

Bis the fulminate receptacle provided with a jacket d to form a chamber e for steam or hot water to heat the fulminate and maintain it in semi-liquid or plastic form and is detachably supported between the ends of the frame. Within the fulminate receptacle are two pulleys g it supported upon shafts t' k, to the latter of which motion is communicated by a gear wheel Z, and upon said pulleys is supported a flexible fulminate conveyer O.

In the upper part of the receptacle B and extending across the same is a scraper m to regulate the quantity of fulminate presented to the fulminate depositors, and may be adjusted in the usual manner of adjusting analogous devices.

D is a fulminate-depositing drum mounted upon a shaft n supported on bracketso p and is revolved by a gear wheel g which meshes with a gear wheel rattached to the shaft 3 upon which the drumEis supported. I In the drum D are longitudinal grooves t in which are inserted bars it provided with a number or chambers 12 to receive fulminate and deposit it upon the paper of which the matches are made. The grooves 25 are equidistant in the periphery of the dru1n,the space between them being equal to the length of the matches to insure the depositing of the fulminate near one end and on one side of the matches. Each chamber '12 terminates in a cylindrical nozzle w and is provided with a piston or plunger y attached to a bar 2 so that all the pistons of each bar'u are operated synchronous] y to draw in and eject the fulminate at the proper time in the revolution of the drum D.

On the ends of the bar 2 are friction rollers a. which travel in grooves b b on the inside of the heads a c which are separate from the body of the drum and are stationary. The grooves are provided with a raised part d as shown in Fig. 3, which commences ata point 6 just below the center of the axis of the drum to raise the pistons y when the fulminate cham- I the raised portion of the track at f; when as the rollers descend from said raised portion the plungers are forced down and quickly expel the fulminate upon the paper. By reference to Fig. 3, it will be observed that four of the bars z operate in slots g in the arms h of the drum D..

The paper in a roll F is placed on a shaft '5' which is supported in the ends A,A, of the frame so that the roll can be readily inserted, and the paper is passed under the drum G and between it and the drum H which two drums constitute the feed mechanism for the paper by frictional contact. The drum H is provided on its peripheral surface with concentric cutting edges 70 which cut or puncture the paper lengthwise to form a fragile connection between the contiguous sides of the matches, and with longitudinal cutting edges Z which in like manner sever the paper transversely and form a fragile connection between the contiguous ends of the matches. The paper thus cut is readily separated when it is desired to pull off a match from the sheet or card. The drum G is revolved by a gear wheel on, which meshes with the wheel 41' attached to the shaft of the drum H, and itis connected to the wheel 1" by the pinion 0 so that'all the revolving parts of the machine operate synchronously.

Power may be applied to the machine in any approved manner by supplying a suitable pulley to be attached to one of the shafts supporting the gear wheels.

After leaving the drum E, the sheet I is properly divided into matches p, and each match provided with a drop q of fulminate passes over the revoluble drum K and is again rolled after having traveled a sufficient distance to allowthe fulminate on the matches to dry. Such a roll is shown at L in Fig. 7, in which form the matches may be transported for subsequent separation for boxing, putting them up in books or in any other form for the market, or they may be used directly from the roll of suitable size where matches are required in large quantities and the roll may be supported in a suitable holder such as is in common use for perforated paper.

The sheet may be separated into cards 1" each composed of two lengths "of matches, folded in the center and put into book form and provided with a suitable covers to which the cards are secured at their contiguous ends, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the outside of the cover being provided with a surface t to ignite the matches by frictional contact therewith. In this form the book of matches can be conveniently carried in a pocket on the person, and in using the matches, they are torn off from either edge through the whole number of what are now leaves of the book so that the several cards remain intact until they have been consumed.

To ignite the matches they are preferably seized between the thumb and the forefinge at one end of the match and the ball of the second finger on the .rear side of the match opposite the fulminate q (as shown in Fig. 10) when the fulminate is rubbed against a suitable surface to cause it to ignite by frictional contact.

The paper may be of any kind suitable for the purpose, manila or straw being preferred, and is of a thickness sufficient to give body to the match,and is first prepared by saturating the paper with a suitable inflammable material such as parai'iine, wax or their equivalents until the paper has become thoroughly impregnated, after which the paper is dried and is then rolled, when it is ready to be converted into matches. Paper thus treated burns steadily and is not easily extinguished by currents of air.

It will be observed that by my invention every particle ofthe sheet of paper is converted into matches, thereby avoiding any waste whatever, that the matches are of-uni form size, and when put up in rolls or in books,

the fulminate of one card of matches faces the back of the adjacent card.

It has heretofore been proposed to print matches by providing a revoluble cylinder with small projections on its periphery and dipping said projections in fulminate and pressing the projections against the lower side of a sheet of paper to print the fulminate on the' paper of which the matches are made. In such a construction the fulminate is liable to gravitate off the ends of the projections before they reach the paper, and as a consequence no deposit of fulminate can be relied upon; and after the fulminate has been applied to the paper, the paper is to be cut into strips forming matches, this latter step being attended with great danger of striking the fulminate and igniting the paper. It has also been proposed to cut a band of paper longitudinally into a series of strands or strips, and apply fulminate.to one side of the separate strips, then coil the paper upon itself, and tear off pieces as required. In contradistinction to such a construction and to such procedures I first puncture the paper to divide it into match splints and then convey the fulminate in suitable chambers or receivers and at intervals drop or deposit the fulminate on the upper side of the sheet of paper as it is being fed through the machine before the paper is separated and thereby secure the proper quantity of fulminate to each match to insure ignition.

It has also been proposed to manufacture matches in sheets with an uncut body of paper between the ends of the matches, to fold said sheets into the form of a book; said uncut portion forming the cover of the book integral with the'matches. Such a construction results in great Waste of paper and the edges of the folded sheet on the line where the matches are frangibly joined to the uncut portion or cover are subject to wear while in the pocket and the matches liable to become detached before they are wanted for use.

The machine shown and described forms subject matter of a divisional application, Serial No. 468,906.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is+ i match splints; and depositing fulminate in drops on the upper surface of the punctured splints intermittently before separating the splints.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. BOWVMAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE GLAIN, LEWIS REHR. 

